𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 — shall we begin?

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 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒. 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 whole hours later and yet Stephen Strange was still sitting upon the doorsteps of the Kamar-Taj pleading, no, begging to be let back inside. Rain had fallen, slicking his hair against his cold and pale skin, his clothes clung to him, almost as desperate as himself to be allowed into the warmth.

 Emilia had to hand it to him, he certainly had some patience; though at the same time, who wouldn't bang on the door and scream to be let inside after the things the former surgeon saw? The things he would have seen were unlike anything; colours merging together like a kaleidoscope, pictures flying past the eyes as though you'd been transported into a Picasso painting.

 The Ancient One didn't budge; she continued on with the day, supervising the sparring between Emilia and Mordo, who was most certainly off his game and missed a majority of his jabs. He'd been speaking the entire time, muttering about the man on their doorsteps, it was obvious he believed in giving the man a second chance.

 That was Mordo; seeing the best in people because that is exactly what the Ancient One had seen in him.

 Now Emilia found herself standing within a room of the Kamar-Taj that held the doorways to the different sanctums, each one buzzing with energy as men and women walked to and fro between them. There was a globe upon a pedestal in the very centre of the room to which the Ancient One was checking up on; it displayed far more than what it would seem.

 The Sorcerer Supreme could check the magical defences that were held together by the very sanctums surrounding them, ensuring the world was safe from the more... Mystical threats.

 Emilia tilted her head to the side as Stephen's voice carried through the air once again, begging to be let inside, whilst Mordo sighed to himself, sparing a glance to the Sorcerer Supreme who quirked a brow, "You think I was wrong to cast him out?"

 Mordo simply shrugged his shoulders, lips quirking upwards as Stephen's voice pleaded through the wooden doors, "Five hours later and he's still at your doorstep."

 "And you, Emilia?"

 The woman in question paused for a moment as the Sorcerer Supreme and Master Mordo waited for an answer; whilst she wasn't a master, nor on the path to becoming one, they more often than not sought her counsel as well as one another's.

 Stephen Strange; during the time between his rejection to now, Emilia had looked his name up. A surgeon, one of the very best in fact, and his whole career had crumbled the second his car dove off the cliffside.

 Emilia... She believed in second chances, but she also knew of Kaecilius. The Ancient One had warned her, told her what the man and his disciples craved; it was obvious that a fight would soon arrive and they could use another set of hands.

 "I think —" She paused, choosing her words carefully, "— I think that you think he'll turn out like Kaecilius. You told me before that the man is arrogant, stubborn and, above all, ambitious... If that doesn't describe the man sitting at our doorstep, I don't know what does."

 A blanket of silence encased them all; Mordo held a look of shock, eyes moving to and fro between the Sorcerer Supreme and the former Physicist. Emilia was always known to offer her true and honest thoughts, never hiding away, and in all honesty, both Mordo and the Ancient One appreciated her transparency.

 The Ancient One pondered Emilia' words, they weren't far from the truth, they weren't far at all from what she herself had been thinking about the man knocking at their door. Her attention was entirely pulled away from the globe before her, beady eyes that seemed to know and see all landed upon the physicist, "You're right. I cannot lead another gifted student into power, only to lose them to the dark."

 "You didn't lose me," Mordo commented, his hands intertwined behind his back. "I wanted the power to defeat my enemies. You gave me the power to defeat my demons, and to live within the natural law."

 Emilia wasn't entirely sure if she was meant to add her two cents to the conversation; she was gifted with power, yes, but how could she ever truly, with complete confidence say that she would never be lost to the dark? Emilia's journey just to arrive at the Kamar-Taj was quilted in darkness, blood and pain; she didn't want that, never again, but control didn't always come easy.

 So instead of offering words that were merely sugar-coated and full of uncertain promises, Emilia looked to the ground with her fingers tangled together in front of her, "Kaecilius still has those stolen pages... If he deciphers them —" A sigh fell from her lips as she stepped forwards, a hand hovering towards the globe, "— You said that ruin would befall us. If that's the case, his appearance is all but confirmed, maybe we could use a man like him. Not every arrogant man is evil, look at the Avengers, they have Stark in their team, and I don't think a man who carried a nuke through a wormhole could be lead towards the darkness,"

 The Ancient One hesitated, digesting the words that were ever filled with wisdom from the young woman beside her; determination was within Emilia's gaze because, despite the lack of control and the abundance of fear, Emilia had already pledged her abilities for whenever the time came to fight.

 She nodded stiffly, gently tapping Emilia on the arm as she nodded towards the corridor that led to the very door Stephen Strange had yet to move from, "Show Mister Strange to his room, please Emilia."

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 "Don't shut me out. Open the door." Came the sound of Stephen's voice as Emilia slowly trailed her way towards the wooden door, from the sound that echoed out, accompanied by the shaking of the doors, the man had finally paused in his endeavours and slumped his back against the door.

 She twisted the handle, the slightest of squeaks sounding out before she yanked the door open. The scruffy man she had been greeted with early that day fell backwards with a yelp and a thump, a groan being emitted when he landed on his back, staring up at Emilia.

 Her brows flicked upwards, a slight smile tugging her lips higher as he thanked her, "You're quite welcome." A hum vibrated in her throat as she walked to his side, holding out a hand and helping the man to his feet.

 "Did you enjoy your time out there?" Emilia questioned, stifling the laugh that bubbled on her tongue as the man sighed heavily, hints of fatigue showing within his dulled eyes, "I'm kidding, follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

 "Uh, thank you," Stephen muttered once again as he finally picked his feet up and trailed after the woman in front of him. He couldn't help but direct his gaze all around him; taking in the intricate art, the beautiful decor, and the people who passed them as silently as mice. In fact, he had barely heard a sound the entire time.

 Stephen cleared his throat and stuttered for a moment, vowels and consonants dripping from his lips like a babbling baby before Emilia finally tossed an amused look over her shoulder. He rolled his eyes at himself before offering a tense smile in return, "Stephen Strange."

 "I'm aware." Emilia called back as she twisted her head back to the corridor before her, nodding towards Master Hamir as they passed them, rather pleased that Stephen hadn't opened his mouth to spout more words towards the Master, "Former renowned surgeon. My name is Emilia."

 "Pleasure to meet you... Emilia."

 Emilia threw another small smile over her shoulder; sure the man had been rather disrespectful earlier that day, but it was obvious that he was truly ready to accept his place within the Kamar-Taj and display his newfound respect by following their ways.

 He had no idea what he was in for, for the countless hours of both physical and mental training, the studying and practice that would show him the ways of sorcery, that would show him he was more than a broken man with broken hands.

 Slowly but surely, with little words spoken from either of them, Emilia had led Stephen towards the dorms where all of the students had their own safe spaces to call their own, the room opposite Emilia's had been vacant for some time, a light layer of dust would have covered the mahogany wood if not for Emilia cleaning it each time she cleaned her own.

 With a light flourish of the hand, Emilia gestured towards the cosy room, "This'll be yours during your time here. I recommend that for the night you settle in, bathe, rest... Perhaps meditate, if you can, I can assure you that you aren't prepared for what's to come."

 "That... That's not very reassuring."

 Emilia cracked a smile, "It wasn't meant to be. Mordo was right, you should forget everything you think you know; the things you'll learn here will change the way you see this world."

 "Right..." He drawled out, peering around the small room, before finally meeting Emilia's curious gaze. He had to admit that she wasn't what he had expected upon entering the doors of the Kamar-Taj.

 He'd expected a bunch of old fools, and from what he'd seen thus far, a majority of the students were around his age, or younger like Emilia who looked to be in her late twenties. She wore similar outfits to those around her, a pair of black tightfitting yet breathable trousers that were partially hidden from the eyes from her knee-high, flat boots. A red, light robe covered her top half, the cape-like material that hung down her back stopped just behind her knees and rustled with every breeze.

 Her hair was left to dangle over her shoulders, a mixture of brown and blonde trailing to her ribs whilst a full fringe covered her forehead. Wide emerald eyes peered at him and her lips seemingly always sat with a lopsided smile. She looked... Warm, inviting, and yet by the tone that had been directed towards him, and the way a single arched brow would rise to disappear within her fringe, she could most certainly offer some chosen words of sarcasm.

 "Oh, here," Emilia spoke as she procured a small piece of paper, handing it towards the man who held out two shaking fingers to retrieve it.

 As he twisted the card over and read the single word, restraining the urge to scoff and instead raised a brow at Emilia, "What is this? My mantra?"

 "Uh... no? That's the wi-fi password, they're just sorcerers, this isn't a cult." She laughed as she leaned against the door, "If you start chanting that at night, I won't hesitate to smother you, after all, my room is just opposite your own."

 There it was again, a sly smirk that seemed rather out of place on her soft face, and yet paired with the twinkling look of mischief in her eyes, the twist of her lips was nothing new. The words she'd spoken had managed to draw a short laugh out of Stephen who placed the card on his dresser.

 He pondered for a moment, well aware of Emilia's gaze resting on his back, almost knowing that there was something more he wished to say.

 "Why did you come here?" Stephen questioned the woman leaning against the entryway of his room. He hadn't even meant to ask the question and yet it fell from his impatient mouth all the same.

 Emilia cocked her head, the coy smile fading to something less, a mixture of sympathy and sadness. A small jolt and she had moved away from the door, "I'm like many of the others here, I want to be fixed."

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 Sunlight had streamed into Emilia's open curtains the very next morning, brushing her skin and demanding for her to wake; the previous night, before the sun had completely settled, the Ancient One had visited both Stephen and Emilia; the physicist was to join Stephen's first lesson.

 She was still learning and had far to go, yet her determination and respect for the art of sorcery were rivalled only by Mordo. She knew how it felt to fail, how it felt to feel so out of control that you wished to give up. Thus, the Ancient One thought it best for the woman to be by Stephens' side.

 So, before the sun was centred in the sky, Emilia had quickly made her way to the library to gather the books that she had once read to master the very basics of sorcery, Stephen was an intelligent man, one who excelled in his education and career, much like Emilia herself; he was sure to finish them in no time.

 By the time she'd arrived back to her room, Stephen was there donning the robe Mordo had set out for him. He had been lightly bouncing on the heels of his feet as he scanned the area, waiting for the woman that would ensure he didn't get lost.

 "Good morning, Stephen," Emilia called out as she shifted the many books in her hands.

 The man perked up, his head twisting towards her to offer a tense smile. He radiated nothing but nerves; something unfamiliar to the man. Stephen Strange had gotten far too comfortable with being the most knowledgeable in the room, the best in the room, here, within the walls of the Kamar-Taj he was new, uneducated and uncertain.

 Everybody that had passed him as he waited on Emilia had headed forth without hesitance. Many held thick books with worn edges beneath their arms, some held scrolls in their hands and others even held staffs and various other — what he assumed to be — weapons.

 Everybody had a place here, he did not. The only thing that kept him grounded, hopeful even, were the words Emilia had uttered to him, 'Like many of the others here, I want to be fixed' So did he. Stephen wanted nothing more than to be able to hold a pen with steady hands, to write his name in the cursive he had once been all too familiar with... Now it was barely intelligible.

 Despite the burning desire in his gut to have his hands back and leave the Kamar-Taj behind whilst he fixed spinal injuries, fished out bullet wounds and did whatever else he did... He was curious as to what Emilia was trying to fix.

 From his position, she seemed fine; she was favoured by the Ancient One, that much had been obvious upon seeing the two women gravitate towards one another and it was obvious from the mere fact that Stephen was to begin his training within Emilia's presence. From a quick scan of her form, nothing seemed broken, unlike his clearly visible hands that shook by his side.

 "Stephen?" Emilia called, her brows furrowed as the man fell silent, "You good?"

 "I'm good."

 "Okay, well, let's go, I'm not sure the Ancient One would appreciate us being late... You know, after yesterday."

 "Thank you for the reminder."

 "That's what I'm here for." Emilia grinned before swiftly turning away from his, the red robes that she donned twirling with her. To say she was rather intrigued with how his first day would go was most definitely an understatement.

 For Emilia, she'd sat with wide eyes upon the sight of amber sparks that filled the air in mystical shapes. It was captivating, and though her mind was far more open than Stephens, she was sure he'd feel the same way; after all, the look of utter bewilderment and shock in his eyes after the Ancient One had sent him on his trip, well, it was a sight to see.

 "Ah, Emilia, Stephen." The Ancient One greeted the pair as they entered the very room Stephen had been rejected in the day prior.

 "Good morning." Emilia greeted in return, a soft smile directed to the Sorcerer Supreme as she finally placed the multitude of books on one of the short tables to the side of the room.

 Stephen, as ever, was scanning the room with widened eyes, ocean waves alight with utter intrigue and a thirst to learn something new. It wasn't a new look for the Ancient One to see; Emilia had once shared the very same gaze, vibrant eyes taking in each and every intricate detail, anything that she could marvel at, she did.

 "Now then," The Ancient One spoke up with the clap of her hands. "Shall we begin?"

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22-06-21

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